DoorDash, ALDI Expand Service to Include Alcohol
DoorDash, the local commerce platform, and ALDI, the grocery price leader for six years running, have expanded their partnership, announcing that consumers can now order on-demand alcohol delivery from more than 1,200 ALDI locations across 21 states on DoorDash. With the addition of ALDI, one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, nearly 80% of DoorDash consumers can now access alcohol through safe, age-verified delivery.
“In addition to giving merchants a new way to reach customers, on-demand alcohol delivery helps partners grow their business. On DoorDash, adding alcohol may increase grocers’ average order value by up to 30%. Order values for U.S. convenience orders were on average over 50 percent higher when alcohol was added,” said Fuad Hannon, vice president of new verticals at DoorDash. “We’ve worked hard to build a trusted alcohol ordering and delivery experience. The expansion of our partnership with ALDI reinforces our commitment to provide growth opportunities for local merchants, while simultaneously providing a safe, high-quality experience for customers.”
This expansion comes just a few months after DoorDash and ALDI first announced their partnership to bring on-demand grocery delivery to nearly all ALDI locations nationwide. Now, consumers can conveniently shop the private-label selection of top-quality, award-winning wine, beer, hard seltzers and ciders, along with all their grocery needs, at the affordable prices they expect from ALDI. On-demand orders can be placed from local ALDI stores via the DoorDash Marketplace app or website.
“ALDI offers an everyday selection of private-label adult beverages and rotates in limited, seasonal flavors so there’s something for everyone,” said Scott Patton, VP of national buying, ALDI. “Earlier this month we also launched a new, premium ‘Specially Selected’ wine collection, with most bottles costing under $10. With the expansion of our DoorDash partnership, more consumers can now sip their favorite ALDI products at the prices they love, delivered straight to their door.”
Earlier this year, DoorDash released its inaugural Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report, a deep dive into the changing landscape of consumer online ordering preferences and emerging dining and drinking trends. The report found that delivery was the preferred way for consumers to safely purchase alcohol with more than 100 percent year-over-year growth for alcohol pickup and delivery on DoorDash from 2021 to 2022. Comfort, convenience, and time-savings are the top reasons consumers say they enjoy using alcohol and delivery services.
Since launching alcohol in 2020, DoorDash has built an impressive alcohol catalog including more than 100,000 SKUs available for purchase across thousands of grocers and restaurants nationwide. U.S. customers across 32 states can access a wide selection of alcoholic beverages, whether it’s to-go drinks from a favorite local restaurant or celebratory champagne from a nearby local store.
DoorDash is deeply committed to delivering alcohol safely and in compliance with local laws and regulations, and has enacted best-in-class safety protocols, including advanced two-step ID verification, alcohol-specific safety compliance modules and a streamlined returns flow for Dashers, and a voluntary self-exclusion or opt-out register for consumers who don’t want alcohol delivered on the platform or in marketing. The company will continue to develop and launch innovative safety features so alcohol deliveries can be responsibly facilitated through the DoorDash platform.
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BuzzBallz Ready-to-Drink Cocktails Goes on the Road
BuzzBallz is on the road, stopping in 11 cities for 11 installations of the USA Today Wine & Food Experience. From Aug. 12-Nov. 4, BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktails will be sponsoring every event on the tour.
The USA Today Wine & Food Experience will feature a plethora of local cuisine from new and established chefs, as well as wine, beer, and spirits from multiple vendors. BuzzBallz will be hosting tastings of their cocktails at each event.
BuzzBallz Trade and Shopper Marketing Manager Yashika Maru, said she is excited to have BuzzBallz present in all 11 stops of the tour with a variety of flavors to offer samples of.
“This incredible opportunity will help create brand awareness with a new set of audiences that enjoy wining and dining,” Maru said.
Aside from food and beverage tastings, each event will feature live demonstrations and music for an overall immersive experience, all within the span of an afternoon.
This sponsorship run comes timely for BuzzBallz, with its 2023 sponsorship of Seltzerland, which ended in July. Along with this tour, BuzzBallz will be sponsoring a handful of country music festivals and local beverage-based experiences throughout the remainder of the year.
BuzzBallz Trade and Events Marketing Manager Cori Culbertson said she has enjoyed sponsoring events with multiple stops.
“I love doing all kinds of events, but it’s especially fun when we get to sort of follow an event from city to city,” Culbertson said. “We can get more acquainted with the vision of the event and more accustomed to the types of consumers we’ll be interacting with, which just makes for better connections and more fun!”
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Coca-Cola to Buy Finlandia Vodka for $220M
Brown-Forman Corporation has reached an agreement to sell its Finlandia vodka brand to Coca-Cola HBC AG for $220 million, subject to the customary closing process. The purchase is expected to close in the second half of the 2023 calendar year.
“Finlandia has played an important role in the global growth of Brown-Forman. Since the brand originally joined our portfolio in 2000, many talented individuals have worked hard to bring Finlandia vodka to the world, and I thank them for their dedication,” said Lawson Whiting, president and CEO, Brown-Forman Corporation. “We believe Coca-Cola HBC is well-suited to support Finlandia’s future growth and look forward to watching the continued evolution of the brand in their capable hands.”
“We are excited and privileged to become the new home for Finlandia vodka. This unique opportunity for us will support our mixability strategy with our core Non-Alcoholic Ready-To-Drink portfolio and sharpen our focus on the strategically important on-premise channel. We are already developing strong plans to take Finlandia to the next level by accelerating and leveraging the brand’s current momentum,” said Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO, Coca-Cola HBC AG. “Lastly, I would like to welcome the Finlandia team to the Coca-Cola HBC family and look forward to great successes.”
Brown-Forman has managed the shape and contents of its portfolio over the last decade and a half through developing, acquiring, and divesting various businesses and brands. The company acquired Finlandia from Altia Corp. (predecessor to the current production partner Anora Group Plc) in multiple phases, obtaining full ownership in 2004.
For more than 150 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Ready-to-Drinks, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple, Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Coopers’ Craft, The GlenDronach, Benriach, Glenglassaugh, Slane, Herradura, el Jimador, New Mix, Korbel, Sonoma-Cutrer, Finlandia, Chambord, Fords Gin, Gin Mare, and Diplomático Rum. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by approximately 5,600 employees globally and sold in more than 170 countries worldwide.
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